Carnival of Blood Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Carnival of Blood Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 8, 2021

1970’s “Carnival of Blood” is a maddeningly repetitive, low-budget shocker from director Leonard Kirtman. The helmer has access to select areas of a carnival and a loose idea for a horror movie, trying to present a ghoulish study of mental illness and male rage. However, if there’s an idea here for genre entertainment, it’s buried under pure padding, with Kirtman working especially hard to get “Carnival of Blood” to 90 minutes, offering viewers the tedium of various real time events.

Dan (Martin Barlosky) is a lawyer newly engaged to Laura (Judith Resnick), a student artist. She’s a neighbor to Tom (Earle Edgerton), who works as a carny, joined by Gimpy (Burt Young), his hunchbacked, scarred assistant. When a murder occurs inside a house of horrors midway ride, Dan is curious to learn more, traveling to the big show with Laura to investigate and have an enjoyable time.

Kirtman offers some gore in “Carnival of Blood,” and he’s attentive to surreal imagery to detail the brewing insanity inside the killer’s mind. These are welcome additions to the picture, along with a sense of carnival life. However, these moments are limited in a feature that’s basically stuck in a routine of three locations, visiting Laura’s apartment, Tom’s dart game stand, and the booth of a fortune teller who knows too much about evil. And viewers are treated to extended scenes at all three stops, watching future victims engage with carnival folk. Hostility towards women is basically the idea driving “Carnival of Blood,” with most female characters depicted as outrageously obnoxious, angry types Kirtman…I MEAN THE KILLER is happy to slaughter in increasingly crude ways.

Carnival of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Carnival of Blood" is the most problematic of the three features on the "Blood-A-Rama" set. Sourced from a film print, chemical damage is present throughout the viewing experience, along with discoloration and jumpy frames. Scratches as well. Detail is acceptable, showcasing facial surfaces and limited locations.

Carnival of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA mix deals with age and recording limitations, but dialogue exchanges are reasonably clear, preserving dramatic offerings from the cast. Carnival sequences battle with background noise. Scoring and soundtrack additions are satisfactory, setting an acoustic mood.

Carnival of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features AFGA's Joseph A. Ziemba and Bleeding Skull's Annie Choi.

Carnival of Blood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Carnival of Blood" has a slight curiosity factor, with Burt Young making his film debut in the picture, doing his best to bring pathos to a character named Gimpy. And there's a push for a shock ending, though Kirtman doesn't do his movie any favors by making it all painfully slow and annoyingly repetitive, forcing viewers to wait an eternity for a resolution.